About me

Hi there,

My names Matthew Ockelford and i am a Graphic Designer with a Ba Hons degree in Illustration currently seeking full time employment in a fun, fresh and hardworking studio.

A little about me

I am a natural creative and have a good understanding of the fundamental principles of design. I have a high knowledge of Illustrator Photoshop and Quarkxpress and a good understanding of InDesign and 3ds Max.

On top of this I have recently professionally retrained as a web designer and subsequently have a good and growing knowledge of HTML and CSS.

I am a career driven, ambitious designer with an ironclad work ethic and I believe in constant improvement and constant self-critique.

I'm not phased by deadlines, and can juggle multiple projects with ease.

I love what I do and I believe this translates in my work

I work well in a team and love the idea of being within a creative environment.

You can view some of my work on this site and in the CV/portfolio that you can download, alternatively if you wish see more of my work on my website *, due to file size restrictions, I've had to resize my CV. However I can of course email the full size version across at request.

The work on my website is varied and contains Photoshop, Illustrator and even work designed for apparel.

Skills

I have a foundation degree in graphic design, as well as a BA HONS degree in Illustration. Here i learnt alot about the fundamental principles of design such as typography, composition colour etc., I have a high level of knowledge in Adobe Illustrator and QuarkXpress. As well as a great knowledge of InDesign and 3DS. I also have a good and growing knowledge of HTML and CSS., My main love passion and ability however, lies in my Adobe Photoshop work. I've been using the program now for over ten years and have an excellent knowledge of it. I love using it in conjunction with other programs/ techniques an mediums to piece together work. In my free time I can often be found using it just for fun. , I'm great with a digital SLR camera and love working with others.

Sector Experience

I'm currently an assistant for the John Lewis Southampton In-house Magazine 'the Chronicle'. I work as part of a two man team and turn out a weekly 12 page magazine to more then a thousand employees. Being part of a such a small team means my job role is very diverse as I have to cover all aspects of the magazine design process, from interviewing to photography all the way to creating the page layouts and proofing them. As the job has three weekly deadlines, my speed, time management and organization has to be spot on., In my short time working for the Chronicle, I have undertaken a substantial redesign of the magazine, which in turn has seen it climb to the recently awarded position of second best magazine in the Partnership, beating off 25 other publications to that spot. I have also personally gained an award for cover of the year which I'm very proud of.

Awards

John Lewis Cover of the year, Second place finish in Practical Photoshop monthly competition, BA Hons Illustration degree, Foundation Degree in Graphic Design